The problem of removing marine growth and other debris from the underwater portion of the hulls on ships is as old as ships themselves. The composition of the debris will vary with the type and composition of the waters in which the ship or boat is used. Barnacles are a very severe problem on ships which navigate the oceans. Modern ocean going ships have steel hulls, and the barnacles are usually removed with jack hammer driven chisels after the ships are dry docked.
A review of the early referenced patents clearly indicates that attempts were being made to develop a method for removing the barnacles and other debris in a continuous manner while the ship was in operation. One of the problems during this era was that many ships did not have modern steel hulls, which made it desirable to remove the barnacles before they acquired maximum adherence to the hull. These early cleaners were water powered by turbine drives which were driven as they were moved through the water by the ships to which they were attached.
The referenced patents all issued before the private ownership of recreational boats, including cabin cruisers and yachts, reached its present popularity. The majority of these recreational boats are not operated in waters where they become infested with barnacles; however, they do accumulate other debris which should be periodically removed to properly preserve the boat and to prevent impairment of the boat's efficiency in the water.
At the present time, the boat must be either dry-docked for cleaning by hand; or, it must be taken to a commercial facility which is similar in many respects to present day car-washes. The recreational boat must be navigated to the boat cleaning facility. In operation, the boat is positioned in the water to be above the submerged cleaning machine, which is then raised against the hull of the boat. There are a relatively few of these commercial cleaning facilities, and it is necessary for many boat owners to navigate their boat as much as 100 miles to have it cleaned. This is both expensive and also time consuming.